Favorite lift…Patrick: front squats; Shannon: power cleans, but dead lifts are a close second

Least favorite lift… Patrick: squat snatch; Shannon: overhead squat

Tell us bit about yourself (family, job, sports, military interest etc..)…We both work for Douglas County School District; Patrick as a special education assistant at Cresthill Middle School and Shannon as a chemistry teacher at Ponderosa High School. Patrick coaches middle school and high school wrestling and enjoys playing tennis, even when it costs him a 100 burpee penalty (thanks Taylor!). Patrick also enjoys reading, hiking, and going to the movies. Shannon enjoys kayaking, eating ice cream and pizza, doing Pinterest crafts, and science puns.

What were you doing before CrossFit…Before CrossFit, we mostly ran a few 5k races each year. We tried Piyo for awhile, but the only consistent exercising that really stuck with us was running.

What were your thoughts after your first CrossFit workout…

Patrick: That kicked my butt, I want to come back and do it again.

Shannon: I normally can’t think after a WOD, but the next day I definitely questioned my life decisions based upon the muscles I felt for the first time ever.

What were your goals when joining CrossFit…

Patrick: To not quit and to get a 6 pack before my birthday (the abdominal kind, not the beverage kind)

Shannon: I’ve set a lot of goals for myself since joining CrossFit…pull ups, push ups, box jumps, double unders, win Festivus, RX a workout, make it through an entire WOD without sticking my tongue out, and to assign one facial expression per movement/lift.

Have you achieved any of those goals…

Patrick: Still working on both, but I haven’t quit yet and I’m not planning on it!

Shannon: I got my first pull up (thanks D Lay!), can do at least one regular push up, can RX box jumps in a WOD, and have RX’d a handful of workouts already! Still working on stringing together double unders and keeping my tongue in my mouth, but my facial expressions have really taken off and almost every lift has its own now.

Has CrossFit affected your life outside the gym….

Patrick: It’s made me stronger. People have commented to me on my muscles, which has never happened to me before in my entire life! CrossFit has made me more encouraging to other people in everyday life.

Shannon: CrossFit has made me stronger both physically and mentally. I can now open jars of jelly without asking Patrick, so that’s pretty cool. It’s given me a way to relate with some of my students in ways that I couldn’t before. My football players and wrestlers are always asking me about my PRs and challenging me to push myself to be better, which is really cool.

Any advice for people getting started…

Don’t quit! It sounded crazy when people told us to come back and workout when you’re so sore that you can’t walk, but it really helps. Focus on getting your form and technique correct on the movements before you focus on getting heavier in weight. Work on mobility and achieving full depth before increasing weight and RXing workouts. Don’t compare yourself to others, because your true competition is yourself.

Some of your recent accomplishments…

Patrick: It took me 7 months, but I finally got full depth on my overhead squats with the trainer bar and my max is now 55 pounds (thank you Taylor and Jocelyn!). I am third on the leader board for “Kelly” and sixth for the 5k. I Rx’d the movements of “Murph”, so my goal is to do it with a weighted vest next year.

Shannon: I did a pull up for the first time ever in my entire life! I’m also starting to RX more WODs than I modify and I can now dead lift more than my bodyweight.

What makes CFCR special to you?

Patrick: I really feel like I get personalized attention from the coaches, helping me strengthen my weaknesses and push my abilities. CFCR is also special to me because of the camaraderie and encouragement that I receive from my fellow CrossFitters and friends like Joe, who always push me beyond my limits.

Shannon: I’ve heard it from several CFCR folks and I’ll say it, too: CFCR is more than a gym, it’s a family. I love coming everyday and being encouraged by both the coaches and my fellow CrossFitters. I’ve made some incredible relationships and there is nothing like struggling through a WOD together and cheering for each other when we’ve made it to the end. We have the greatest coaches who know how to push you beyond what you think that you’re capable of and make you better. I absolutely love the community and support at CFCR!!

WOD

20 Minute AMRAP:

50 Double Unders (Mod: 2x Singles)

10 Power Snatch

10 Box Jump Overs 24/20”

1:00 Rest After Each Round

Level 1: 75/55#
Level 2: 95/65#
Level 3: 115/75#

Coach’s Tip: Interval style workout today so the goal is to go fast through each round because you get a mandatory one-minute rest. Try to pick a weight for power snatch that you can go unbroken. If you have double unders but 50 is too many reps for you try modifying with however many double unders you can average in 40 seconds.